The term “Geek God” — a title I like to designate to some of the most iconic celebrities you might find at a convention — is synonymous with Nathan Fillion. The actor has starred in some of the most worshipped cult favorites of both the big and small screen — especially in the realm of sci-fi — but his celebrated, eclectic career is defined by so much more.
The question is, what is his best work yet? I am sure, if you are a fan of the actor, that you have your own opinion on the matter, but let’s see if your choices match my choices for best Nathan Fillion movies and TV shows, ranked in ascending order.
14. Con Man (2015-2017)
Fillion pokes fun at his career (and geek culture in general) in a highly exaggerated and quite cynical nature in Con Man. The similarities between himself and his character Jack Moore — the lead of a cancelled sci-fi TV show called Spectrum — are few and far between but totally obvious.
Moore plays a major role in the satirical web series (also one of the best Alan Tudyk TV shows), even in episodes he does not appear in, since his former co-star, Wray Nerely (Tudyk, who also created the show), often struggles to escape his shadow. These are definitely not the former Firefly cast members’ most likable roles, but they are easily some of their funniest.
13. Monsters University (2013)
Seeing John Goodman and Billy Crystal reprise their roles as Sully and Mike Wazowski made Monsters University — a prequel to one of the best Pixar movies, Monsters Inc. — worth seeing. However, Fillion steals the show as the voice of Johnny “The Jaw” Worthington III.
The leader of Sully and Mike’s rival fraternity is brought to life with the signature snark that the actor has perfected over the years. He demonstrates a lot of commitment to voicing the Roar Omega Roar president in a way that almost earns your respect upon introduction, but with an unlikable sleaziness that makes him a worthy antagonist.
12. Super (2010)
Fillion has starred in quite a few great superhero movies, more of which we will cover soon. Yet, none of them are anything like one of his earliest (and craziest) collaborations with writer and director James Gunn, Super.
The pitch-black comedy boasts another signature example of the actor playing a smaller (but memorably hilarious) character with a pivotal role in the story. In this case, it is fictional, Christian-based superhero The Holy Avenger, who inspires the depressed and mentally unstable Frank (Rainn Wilson) to become a wrench-wielding vigilante in hopes of rescuing his wife, Sarah (Liv Tyler).
11. A Series Of Unfortunate Events (2017-2019)
Fillion has played a few unsavory characters in his day. One of his more noble roles, surprisingly, comes from none other than Netflix’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events, which the actor was excited to star in for its non-dismissive treatment of younger audiences.
His delightfully brash performance as the Baudelaire orphans' ally and VFD member, Jacques Snicket (indeed, the brother of author and in-universe character, Lemony Snicket, played by Patrick Warburton), is one of the few uplifting elements of the comically bleak series adaptation of the popular books, despite his tragic fate.
10. Big Mouth (2017-2024)
Another one of Fillion’s best known voice acting roles is one that is very close to his heart: himself. More accurately, he voices a caricature of himself, dressed as Firefly’s Captain Malcolm Reynolds, on one of the best animated TV shows of all time, Big Mouth.
To be even more clear, his appearances on the Netflix original, coming-of-age comedy exist purely in the romantic fantasies of Missy Foreman-Greenwald (formerly voiced by Jenny Slate and later by Ayo Edebiri). The mere fact that the real Nathan Fillion is the one providing the voice of this cleverly meta parody that borders on self-mockery makes it one of the most hilarious recurring roles on a show chock-full of brilliantly constructed characters.
9. Santa Clarita Diet (2017-2019)
It is funny how many of Fillion’s best shows were canceled too soon, such as Netflix’s romantic, comedic, and brainy reinterpretation of zombie lore, Santa Clarita Diet. He had yet another hilarious, scene-stealing recurring role as Gary West.
The real estate agent's professional rivalry with undead Sheila Hammond (Drew Barrymore) and her husband and partner, Joel (Timothy Olyphant), comes to a head when Sheila consumes most of his body. Fillion would play the role for the first two seasons, only for his more severely deteriorated self to be portrayed by none other than Alan Tudyk in the third and final season.
8. The Guardians Of The Galaxy Movies (2014-2023)
Fillion has worked with his friend James Gunn many, many times and, in fact, it may be more times than you realize. In 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, he voiced “Monstrous Inmate,” who threatens Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), and later appeared as The Orgosphere’s head security guard, Master Karja, in Vol. 3.
These dual roles — along with his Deadpool & Wolverine cameo as Headpool — make him one of a handful of actors who have portrayed more than one character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He almost had the bragging rights to say he was in every installment of the Guardians trilogy but his cameo as Simon “Wonder Man” Williams was cut from 2017’s Vol. 2.
7. Justice League: Doom (2012)
Fillion’s next collaboration with James Gunn will be in the filmmaker’s new Superman cast as Guy Gardner, better known as the Green Lantern. However, that will not be the first iteration of the intergalactic lawman he has portrayed since the actor has voiced Hal Jordan numerous times.
He has portrayed the role in various beloved DC animated movies and even several episodes of Robot Chicken, but my choice for the best example and overall best movie of the bunch would have to be Justice League: Doom. Also featuring one of the late Kevin Conroy’s best performances as Batman, the thrilling film sees Earth’s mightiest heroes fall prey to a contingency plan executed by Bane (Carlos Alazraqui), but actually designed by the Dark Knight himself.
6. Waitress (2007)
One of Fillion’s all-time best performances in a live-action feature film does not see him playing some intergalactic hero, but one of his most grounded and, admittedly, deeply flawed characters. In Waitress, he plays Dr. Jim Pomatter — a married obstetrician who engages in a passionate affair with pregnant and unhappily married diner server, Jenna Hunterson (Keri Russell).
For several reasons, their romance is doomed from the start. Yet, it provides each of them with a sense of much-needed comfort that makes the late writer and director Adrienne Shelly’s dramedy, as CinemaBlend's Waitress review calls it, "a delectable treat."
5. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)
As established, Fillion has played quite a few superheroes in his day. The most unique, distinct, and iconic of the bunch might be Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.
Fillion hams it up beautifully as the professional and romantic rival of Neil Patrick Harris’ titular, wannabe supervillain in Joss Whedon’s three-part web series, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. He also proves he has some decent pipes as a crimefighter only in it for the glory in the musical comic book fiction parody that cleverly sneaks up on you with its haunting conclusion.
4. The Rookie (2018-Present)
Clearly, we all love seeing Fillion play smarmy jackasses. Of course, that might be what made seeing him play a genuinely kindhearted and optimistic human being in The Rookie so refreshing.
His post-Castle return to TV sees him play John Nolan, who moves to L.A., seeking to turn over a new leaf by becoming a police officer, but not without facing adversity for his age. As a crime procedural that trades in grimness for heart and mystery for character-driven storytelling without schmaltz, it is no wonder it became one of Fillion’s biggest small-screen hits.
3. Slither (2006)
James Gunn's first collaboration with Nathan Fillion is also the only time, so far, that he has cast him in a lead role. The actor gives one of his most badass performances as a sheriff struggling to do the right thing in a small town with a big problem.
Said problem involves an unstoppable horde of parasitic extraterrestrial worms transforming local citizens into grotesque mutants. That may sound like a pretty one-note B-movie description, but Gunn makes Slither into one of the best horror-comedy movies of its time (if not all time) with some very inventive and cheekily hilarious uses of creature feature elements.
2. Castle (2009-2016)
I think that some of the previous entries on our list and a great chunk of the actor’s filmography so far prove that no one portrays snark quite as charmingly as Fillion. That being said, I do not believe he has ever portrayed snark quite as charmingly as when he starred on ABC’s Castle.
He plays the title role of a popular crime novelist whose partnership with feisty, by-the-book detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), as research for his latest project, becomes more than just professional over time. It is more of a common procedural drama than The Rookie, for sure, but it is easily one of the most clever, fun, and romantic of its kind, made all the more compelling by Fillion and Katic’s electric chemistry.
1. Firefly And Serenity (2002-2003, 2005)
After all these years, the role that remains Nathan Fillion’s best-known and most-loved is Captain Malcolm Reynolds. Not to mention, the character originates from a series that also remains his best-known and most-loved by most fans, despite being cancelled after 11 episodes on Fox.
What makes the premature ending such an especially heartbreaking affair is the refreshingly creative concept behind Firefly: a space Western set centuries into the future and following a group of outsiders traveling the colonized solar system. Luckily, the Serenity crew’s story was given some closure in a spectacular, theatrically released film named after the ship, and the franchise’s popularity has only continued to rise in the years since.
So, what do you think? Have we nailed Nathan Fillion’s best movies and TV shows on the head, or would you take Richard Castle over Mal Reynolds any day? Check out the actor's new 2024 movie, Skincare — which reunites him with Slither's Elizabeth Banks — and, of course, the upcoming DC movie, Superman.
